Nothing won, nothing lost at the Tour de France

Nine stages into the 111th edition of the Tour de France, the best result for Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS has been a 4th place courtesy of Phil Bauhaus. But the 12 stages following the first rest day are going to serve up plenty of opportunities to make amends and set the course for success.

The 111th edition of the Tour de France started in the city of Florence, and the riders did not get treated to an easy start as the two opening stages featured plenty of selective climbs. For this race Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS had nominated Santiago Buitrago and Pello Bilbao as its co-captains for GC. Jack Haig and Wout Poels made the team as key domestiques for the mountains while Fred Wright and Matej Mohoric were to enjoy freedoms in transitional stages but also to deliver crucial support in the finale of flat stages. As a key rider for sprint stages, Phil Bauhaus could rely on the support of his lead-out rider Nikias Arndt.

Throughout the initial nine stages Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS missed out on a podium result. Phil Bauhaus got closest when sprinting to 4th at the end of stage 6. Earlier on he had crossed the finish line in 6th against a stacked group of sprinters. More top 10 results came courtesy of Fred Wright with an 8th place in stage 8, Pello Bilbao with a 9th place in the opening stage and Santiago Buitrago who finished stage 4 as the hardest mountain stage thus far with a 10th place. As for the general classification Buitrago and Bilbao are positioned in 15th and 16th, respectively. While the time gaps to the four best-placed riders look substantial, the top 10 positions are not far away and well within reach.

As for the team classification Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS currently sits in 6th place, and Santiago Buitrago is in 5th in the young rider's classification. The Tour de France restarts with a mostly flat stage on Tuesday, but the second week will also see some demanding mountain stages. These could be the right opportunities to throw in a bid for a stage win or to move up in the general classification.   

Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency